Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian diagnosed with testicular cancer

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Five-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian revealed his ongoing battle with testicular cancer on Thursday.

The swimming star disclosed on social media that he's undergoing treatment for the disease, and will have surgery early next week.

Despite the diagnosis, Adrian plans to return to the water in preparation for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

"Recently, I went to the doctor as something didn't seem quite right," Adrian wrote on Instagram. "At the very least, I still needed to get my flu shot so it couldn't hurt. After a few tests and visits with a specialist, I unfortunately learned that I have Testicular Cancer. On the bright side, we caught it early, I have already started treatment and the prognosis is good. I will be back in the water in a few short weeks with my sights fully set on Tokyo!"

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Life, like swimming the 100 free, can come at you hard and fast as you can’t always see who, or what, may be chasing you down. Recently, I went to the doctor as something didn’t seem quite right. At the very least, I still needed to get my flu shot so it couldn’t hurt. After a few tests and visits with a specialist, I unfortunately learned that I have Testicular Cancer. On the bright side, we caught it early, I have already started treatment and the prognosis is good. I will be back in the water in a few short weeks with my sights fully set on Tokyo! Along the way, I hope to share my journey in an effort to help break the stigma of discussing men’s health issues. I’ve realized that too often we tend to avoid these important topics, ignore the potential warning signs, and put off getting the medical help that we may need. As I told my family, I’ll be putting my public health degree to work a little sooner than I planned! But in all seriousness, I am keeping a positive attitude as cases such as mine are curable. I am extremely grateful for my family and friends, especially my wife, for their love and support. I am scheduled for surgery early next week and will provide an update soon. #menshealth #testicularcancer #standuptocancer
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A post shared by Nathan Adrian (@nathangadrian) on Jan 24, 2019 at 12:20pm PST

The 30-year-old Adrian has been on the U.S. National Team for over a decade. He won an individual gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Games, and has been part of gold-medal relay teams in the last three Olympics.

"I am keeping a positive attitude as cases such as mine are curable," Adrian said. "I am extremely grateful for my family and friends, especially my wife, for their love and support."

Adrian qualified for the 2019 Pan American Games, which opens on July 26 in Lima, Peru, but it remains unclear whether he'll participate.